Auburn, Citrus Heights men accused of using Internet to solicit teens for sex

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of two men in separate cases that involved online soliciting of minors for sexual encounters.

Matthew Thomas Ishizaki✔, 23, of Auburn was arrested Jan. 7, when he arrived at an Auburn location expecting to meet a 13-year-old boy with whom he thought he had corresponded online, sheriff’s officials said. Instead, he was met by detectives, who were the ones who had responded to Ishizaki’s ad.

On Tuesday, detectives arrested Ryan David Coats, 38, of Citrus Heights at his workplace. Coats did not show up for a planned rendezvous with what he allegedly thought was a 13-year-old girl he had met after posting an online ad seeking a romantic encounter, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release. But detectives had been corresponding with Coats in the guise of a 13-year-old girl and cited that evidence as cause to arrest Coats.

Both men were arrested on suspicion of arranging to meet a minor for purposes of committing a sexual act. In addition, Coats is accused of distributing harmful matter to a minor, and Ishizaki is accused of attempting to commit a lewd act with someone under the age of 13. Ishizaki was released on bail. Coats is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

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Sheriff’s officials urge parents to educate themselves about the Internet, and to warn their children of the dangers and risks of being online. Officials suggest parents monitor their children’s Internet use as they would the movies and television shows their children watch, and the places they go with their friends.